lifestyle blog. chicago wanderings. francophile. travel.

Let’s Dress Up! The Caftan Is My New Black

Is it caftan or kaftan? I think it’s both. Well, a quick internet search says so. I’m going to keep it caftan.

What is a caftan? It’s a long loose dress. And what I discovered this summer…the caftan makes a perfect maternity dress.

I’ve always admire women who develop a great sense of style and look good in everything they wear. Me? I’m still trying to figure out my style. When I decluttered my closet last year though, I discovered my closet had lots of striped tops, laced blouses, jeans and colorful dresses. I’m trying to keep all those purchases to a minimum but at the same time I want to diversify my closet.

I recently discovered the versatility of the caftan dress (see this Vogue article suggests you can wear a caftan to the office 7 different ways) especially being able to use it during and after pregnancy. And I love that the caftan dress is forgiving, meaning it can hide the bulge, and easy to wear. So this past summer, I invested in a caftan so that I could wear during pregnancy and after pregnancy (and for possible beach vacations).

Wearing the caftan dress at 35 weeks pregnant

I found the Marie Cinched Caftan at Anthropologie that seemed to fit the length and my pregnant belly. I absolutely fell in love with it and wore it throughout my third trimester. It was the dress I wore home from the hospital after giving birth to the twins as well. In fact, I even wore to a friend’s wedding at 35 weeks pregnant.

I wish I would’ve given the caftan a chance sooner and that’s why I’m calling it my new go-to dress or my new black. The caftan is so easy to wear and works with my lifestyle. Although I’m not sure I can wore it to the office or during the winter. But that’s okay. It’s a great summer staple.

Wearing the caftan 9 weeks after giving birth

I’m calling the caftan my new black because I think I was able to wear it every day this summer and even wore to a friend’s wedding. The only limitations are wearing it to the office or during the winter time but that’s okay. I’m considering a capsule caftan for me, especially during the summer time and beach vacations. It’s easy to fold up and doesn’t wrinkle and made my pregnancy bump look so cute. My ultimate goal would be an Emilio Pucci caftan.